1.09.2005

Hey, I love to paint, too

Besides being an animator, I have a background in illustration and design. I also got into painting while at school, and on occasion I try to sharpen those painterly skills. I worked with acrylics in school, but now I work almost exclusively in gouache. It's a weird medium to work in, and very difficult. But I'm so used to it by now, I can manipulate the paint the way I want it. For the most part, anyway. If I want it to be opaque, I use more of the pigment. If I want more transparency, like watercolors, I add more water. Also, I don't use the typical paint from the tubes. I prefer to paint with those cakes, or pans, and I prefer Pelikan brand for the brilliance of color that I can get out of the 12 pans in my now-outdated set.

Last year, I did two paintings and incidentally they were both for silent auctions for two different organizations. This one, titled, "carburetor," was for the non-profit dance organization that my wife is involved with, Moving In The Spirit. (Click on image for a larger version.)

I then painted one for our daughter's preschool, the Grant Park Cooperative Preschool. It's titled, "how they do sparkle."(Click on image for a larger version.)

Seeing these two paintings together, I see some definite similarities. The funny thing is, they were both done at completely different times, without one or the other nearby for me to look at. The colors are within a similar range: oranges, rusty reds, greens and browns. Hardly any blues. There is a prominent figure in both paintings, positioned just left of center. I also noticed that there is a good amount of images on the right side of the composition, with a bottom-heavy feel overall. Very strange that these two paintings would be very similar. Must've been a subconscious thing, I guess.

Anyway, I don't paint as often as I should. It's a great outlet for me, to get away from the daily grind of drawing, but I don't take advantage of that outlet. In fact, after writing about this, I really have the urge to paint again...

18 comments:

Wow! Beautiful work, Ward. Crazy how things work out like that. I've caught myself more than onceworking on pictures that were similiar to things I had done in the past. Love your choice of color and composition. Keep 'em coming!

love these works. I love the colors, the texture and the collage feel they have. and being a dancer, I love the movers and dancers in these pieces... beautiful work. I think it would be interesting to hear about your influences...

Thanks, guys. You know, after going through that sudden urge to paint again, the reality set in and I realized that I had to do some work! Rats. Oh well. And anonymous, I do in fact want to post my influences soon. This week will be crazy for me, however.

This is great art, i particularly like it as i have recently finished a Photography course where we studyed art very similar to yours. I love how the paintings are so abstract and spontaneous so keep up the good work!louise.

I really like the work titled 'carburetor'. I could just reflect on it at length if it were on my wall. I especially like the use of autumnal colors in a non-landscape. It is a contrast of and within itself, and makes this work a very important piece. Please share more with us in the future.

Thanks for the nice words, guys. Aries327, yes, I have heard of and seen Sabrina's work. My wife, Andrea, has her two (or is it 3?) books. They are wonderful. Louise, I'm wondering if you guys studied Rauschenberg, as I've been greatly influenced by him. He's a giant in my artworld. Dan, very nice of you to say. If you'd like you may click on the painting and there should be a larger image (150dpi) for you to print up and enjoy. Once I get around to painting some more, I'll most definitely post them up here.

Thank you all for your comments. I feel all fuzzy inside. (Is that a good thing?)

Hey man, those two paintings are really cool. Its neat how you didnt paint them at the same time, since they seem to compliment each other. Or...theyre like two halves of the same picture.Well done.Cya 'round